End Clutter, Send Flowers

Hey, you may laugh at the title of this blog but while sitting in the Miami Airport on my way back from vacation, I was thinking about work, more to the point marketing my product. I'm pretty much always thinking, the wheels are always turning, how can I make my business better, what can I do to sell more flowers and it came to me, the true strength of my product is that it's perishable.

How can this be a strength? Well, think about it, how many people do you know that "have it all"? I'm sure, if you are like me, you know many of these people that have just about everything they need. I believe that I'm one of those people. Honestly, I have a nice house, food on the table, an adoring husband and two cats in the yard, there isn't anything I truly need.

So what does this have to do with flowers? If you are like me, you've seen some of those programs on TV that show people trying to get out from underneath tons of clutter in their houses. They subject themselves to open mockery by letting the cameras role inside their dirty, cluttered homes. How desperate they must be to rid themselves of this stressful lifestyle yet when it comes to parting with the "stuff" you'll notice that they attach a sentimental value onto just about everything.

Now, not to get political or financial or anything close to cerebral, but could it be this propensity to collect "stuff" just might have something to do with the average American having a huge house and high debt? What do we do with all these rooms filled with so much stuff there's no room for people?? Is this really what we want our lives to be like?

OK, so this is where the flowers come in. Cut flowers are beautiful, they make us happy (studies show this to be a fact) yet when deciding on a gift or even something to spend our own money on, we discount flowers because they die. It's the battle cry for all florists when we hear this phrase!! Ugh, when did a thing of beauty, created by nature, have to last so long that we can bequeath it to our children's children? Is there any crime in spending a few dollars on a thing of beauty, solely for the sake of the enjoyment it gives us for a week or even a few days? Who said that a floral bouquet sent to someone today won't be remembered for years or even decades? When was the last time you saw a Pottery Barn Catalogue that showed their gorgeous furniture covered with "stuff". I'm pretty sure the last one I saw showed vases filled gorgeous blooms or even a single blossom or leaf.

So the next time you think you need more "stuff" or have a desire to give someone more "stuff", I sincerely hope you'll consider flowers. Yes they do die, everything living thing does, but aren't they nice while they are here? Flowers speak for themselves. They inspire us, they make us feel happy, clean and fresh. This should be the battle cry of all florists - End Clutter, Send Flowers!